OpEd | Kentucky can do more to end the roadblock of illiteracy

2:55 AM,
Sep. 12, 2013

Emily Kirkpatrick

Written by

Emily Kirkpatrick
and John Ujda

Forty percent of U.S. fourth-graders who returned to the classroom this week are not reaching basic levels of reading proficiency. This gap is even larger among low-income families, certain minority groups and English-language learners, according to national literacy organizations.

And while many think illiteracy is an individual challenge, the effect it has on the economy is staggering. Twenty percent of Americans read below the level needed to earn a living wage, and 50 percent of the unemployed between the ages of 16 and 21 cannot read well enough to be considered functionally ...